Fiber conditioning machine



M r 1952 R. E. GETCHELL 2,589,793

FIBER CONDITIONING MACHINE Original Filed June 13, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET l L 2 j 1 1. Z M Li! Kl/U AVVENTOR.

March 18, 1952 R. E. GETCHELL FIBER CONDITIONING MACHINE 2 SHEETSSHEE'T 2 Original Filed June 13, 1947 w v z "w M 7 i .fl W i i W w w ru\ w f I e 111 4% i J/ i I? Patented Mar. 18, 1952 FIBER CONDITIONING MACHINE Raymond E. Getchell, Holyoke, Mass., assignor to B. F. Perkins & Son, Inc., Holyoke, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Original application June 13, 1947, Serial No. 754,342. Divided and this application June 7, 1948, Serial No. 31,503

2 Claims. I

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for conditioning textile fibers and this application is a' division of an application Ser. No. 754,342, filed June 13, 1947.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to novel apparatus for conditioning textile fibers of various kinds for the elimination of foreign substances therein.

Fibers of all kinds, particularly animal fibers, used in the textile industry contain a considerable amount of foreign substances or bodies and it is to the removal of these that the invention is particularly directed. Such foreign bodies must be removed for the desired and proper processing of fibers and to that end the apparatus hereof is constructed and arranged to be located adjacent a carding machine or machines to break up and remove these foreign bodies.

As a special feature of the invention the apparatus includes a plurality of pairs of draft rolls for drawing fibers, as for instance in sliver form, into the form of a thin web which is acted upon by pairs of extender rolls that act on and break up the foreign bodies or substances without injury to the fibers and in combination therewith means is provided to adjust the spacing of the pairs of draft rolls.

Fibers of different lengths or staple for the most economical and efficient operation require that the draft rolls be spaced apart a distance to accommodate a certain length or staple and the novel construction of this invention accomplishes the same with ease and readiness.

With the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figs. 1 and 2 are side and front elevational views respectively of fiber conditioning apparatus embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic sectional elevational view through the rolls of the apparatus to assist an explanation of the invention;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the upper portion of the left-hand side frame of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the upper portion of the right-hand side frame;

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view through the periphery of a pair of extender rolls of the apparatus; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevational view on the 7 line 88 of Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

A base 2 is provided which is supported by rolls or casters 4 whereby the apparatus may be readily and easily moved about. Side frames 6 and 8 are secured to and extend upwardly from the base 2. Between said side members there are a pair of lower draft rolls such as l0, an intermediate pair of draft rolls such as I2, and an upper pair of draft rolls such as M.

A lower pair of extender rolls l6 and an upper pair of extender rolls l8 are disposed above the draft rolls. With the rolls in rotation fibers are fed to the lower draft rolls iii. These rolls described are driven by mechanism to be described and is located outside the side frame 6 and 8 and normally concealed by cover members 20 and 22 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These cover members are arranged for ready removal from the apparatus so as to expose the driving mechanism which will be explained with reference to Figs. 4 and 5.

The side frames 5 and 8 have openings 1 and 9 therein and vertical members 92 and 94 at the forward sides and horizontal members 34 at their upper sides.

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the upper portion of the frame 6, the cover 20 not being shown, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the upper portion of the frame 8 at the opposite side of the machine.

A shaft 28 of the rearmost of the upper extender rolls I8 is journaled in bearings 30 and 3% which are fixed to upper portions 34 of the side frames. Other bearing members such as 36 and in which a shaft 38 of the other extender roll 58 is journaled are slidable horizontally between the upper portions 34 of the side frames and lower stationary members 40.

The shaft 28 may be the main driving shaft of the apparatus and it may be connected to any suitable source of power by belts, gearing, roller chains or the like. The shafts 28 and 38 are operatively connected by gears 42 fixed thereto at the left-hand side of the machine.

A shaft 44 of the innermost extender roll 16 is journaled in bearings 46, below bearings 30, which are fixed to the frame construction. A

shaft 48 of the other extender roll I6 is rotatable in bearings 50 which are slidable in members 52 secured to the frame construction. Spring 54 are provided to urge the slidable bearings 36 and 50 towards the fixed bearings so as to yieldingly hold the extender rolls of the pairs thereof in operative engagement.

A gear 56 is fixed to the right hand end of the shaft 28 and meshes with an idler gear 58 rotatable on a stud 60 carried by an arm 62 which is swingable on shaft 28. A gear 64 on the shaft 44 is in engagement with the idler 58. Various idler gears may be used on the stud 58 and the arm 62 is held in place by a stud 63 engaging the side frame 8 and extending through a slot of the arm 62, as shown. As the shaft 28 is rotated, the extender rolls I6 and I8 of the pair thereof are rotated for their co-action and the relative speeds of the pairs of rolls may be varied by changing the gears 56,58 and 64. Gears 66 are fixed to the shafts 44 and 48 to operatively connect the said shafts and the rolls I6.

Stationary bearings 68 are fixed to the frame members 6 and 8 and shafts 10 of the uppermost and innermost draft rolls I4 are journaled therein. Bearings 12 are slidable in members 14 fixed to the frame construction and a shaft 16 of the outermost draft roll I4 is journaled therein. Springs 18 act on the bearings 12 to yieldingly hold the uppermost draft rolls I4 in opera tive engagement.

The intermediate draft rolls I2 have shafts 80 and 82 rotatable in bearings 84 and 85. From the bearing 84 upper and lower spaced members 86 extend to support the bearings 85 for sliding movements and members 90 secured to the members 86 are provided which slide up and down relative to the vertically disposed members 92 and 94 associated with the side frames.

Springs such as 96 yieldingly urge the bearings 85 towards the bearings 84 so that the intermediate draft rolls I2 are held in yielding engagement.

Shafts I and I02 of the rolls I0 are rotatable in bearings I04 and I06 and members I08 extend from the bearings I04 to slidably support the bearings I06. Members III) fixed to the members I08 slide against the vertical members 92 and 94 and springs II2 urge the bearings I66 toward the bearings I 64. The members 92 and 94 are provided with slots 93 in which members 95 fixed to members 90 and IIO are slidable.

The frames 6 and 8 are provided with vertically extending slots II 4 on inner and outer sides. Keys such as H6 are secured to the bearings 84 and I04 and are slidable in the slots II4 so that the bearing assemblies for the lower and intermediate pairs of draft rolls may be moved vertically of the side frames and relative to one another to adjust the spacing between the pairs of draft rolls.

A transverse member I20 extends between the side frames 6 and 8 and screws I22 have lower ends journaled therein adjacent the inner sides of the side frames 6 and 8. Gears such as I24 are fixed to the lower ends of the screws I 22 and are in mesh with gears I26 which are fixed to a transversely extending shaft I28 that is journaled in the frames 6 and 8.

' A crank I30 is fixed to the shaft I28 so that on rotation thereof the screws I22 are rotated. The bearings I04 and 84 are provided with bosses such as I32 which are split, as shown in Fig. 6. Bushings I34 are clamped in the bearings by means of screws I36. The bushings I34 are internally screw threaded and threadedly receive the screws I22. The bushings are held against rotation by screws I38 in engagement with the bearings. The screws I22 have upper and lower threaded portions I23 and I25 of different pitch. The lower portion I 25 may be of greater pitch than the portion thereabove so that as the shaft I28 is rotated there is greater upper or down movement of the draft rolls I0 than of the rolls I2.

An idler gear I48 is rotatable on a stud I50 of an arm I52 which is swingable on shaft 44, see Fig. 5. Said gear I48 is in mesh with a gear I54 of shaft 10. The arm I52 is held in place by a bolt I53 extending through a slot thereof and gears of various sizes may be used on the stud I50.

A gear I56 is fixed on shaft 16 and is in mesh with the gear I54, so that the extender rolls and the uppermost draft rolls I4 are interconnected so as to be driven from the shaft 28.

Shaft 10 thus being driven, a sprocket I58 is fixed thereon and a chain I60 in engagement therewith is also in engagement with a sprocket I62 fixed to shaft I00. The chain I 60 also engages a sprocket I64 which is integral with a gear I65 rotatable on a stud I66. The gear I65 meshes with an adjacent gear I42 of draft roll I2. The chain I60 pases over an idler sprocket I68 rotatable on a stud I10 of a tightener arm I12 which is oscillatable on a stud I14. A spring I16 around stud I14 is arranged as shown to swing arm I 12 counterclockwise to tension the chain I60 in all relative positions of the draft rolls.

The draft rolls l0 and I2 are rotated by the chain, sprockets and gearing described.

The draft rolls of the pairs thereof will have circumferentially spaced and longitudinally extending coacting grooves-and teeth as is common with draft rolls and the same may be alike or common to the rolls as may be desired.

It will be observed that the spacing between the pairs of draft rolls or ratch may be varied to accommodate the staple or length of fibers and the adjustment may be readily and easily made while the apparatus is in operation.

The extender rolls of the pairs thereof are provided with circumferentially extending alternate grooves and teeth I1 shown at an enlarged scale in Fig. 7. The elements are formed so that as the rolls of a pair rotate the sides of adjacent teeth coact with a sliding action and are arranged to receive the fibers therebetween without injury thereto while at the same time the rolls act to break up and extend the foreign substances associated with the fiber and thus condition the fibers for subsequent operations.

The teeth of the rolls I6 and I8 may be of the same size and shape but will depend on the conditions to be met.

As has been stated, the fibers are delivered to the lowermost draft rolls I0 and pass upwardly through the draft and extender roll so that the fibers are drawn out so as to dispose the foreign bodies and substances therein in such a way as to be readily acted upon by the extender rolls.

The speed of the draft rolls relative to the speed of the extender rolls may be changed by the use of other gears than shown.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and rangeiof equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine of the class decribed, a pair of horizontally spaced vertically extending side frames provided with stationary bearings fixed thereto and having guideways with movable bearings slidable therein relative to said stationary bearings, a pair of cooperating upper draft rolls having shaft ends journalled in said bearings, springs urging said movable bearings towards said stationary bearings, intermeshing gears fixed to said shaft ends, primary intermediate and lower draft roll bearings slidable up and down in said side frames and each having a guideway extending therefrom and secondary movable bearings slidable in each said guideway towards said primary bearing and providing therewith a pair of intermediate and a pair of lower draft roll bearings slidable relative to each said side frame, pairs of intermediate and lower draft rolls having shaft ends rotatable in the pairs of intermediate and lower bearings, spring means urging said secondary movable bearings towards said primary intermediate and lower bearings, intermeshing gears fixed to the shaft ends of the rolls of the last named pairs thereof and driving connections between the shaft ends of one roll of each pair thereof, and means operatively connecting the primary intermediate and lower draft roll bearings for moving them relative to one another and vertically relative to said frames.

2. In a machine of the-class described, a pair of horizontally spaced vertically extending side frames provided. with stationary bearings fixed thereto and having guideways with movable bearings slidable therein relative to said stationary bearings, a pair of cooperating upper draft rolls having shaft ends journalled in said bearings, "springs urging said movable bearings towards said stationary bearings, intermeshing gears fixed to said shaft ends, primary intermediate and lower draft roll bearings slidable up and down in said side frames and each having a guideway extending therefrom and secondary movable bearings slidable in each said guideway toward said primary bearing and providing therewith a pair of intermediate and a pair of lower draft roll bearings slidable relative to each said side frame, pairs of intermediate and lower draft rolls having shaft ends rotatable in the pairs of intermediate and lower bearings, spring means urging said secondary movable bearings towards said primary in "'termediate and lower bearings, intermeshing gears fixed to the shaft ends of the rolls of the lastnamed pairs thereof and driving connections between the shaft ends of one roll of said pairs thereof, and manually operable means for simultaneously moving the intermediate and lower bearings up and down relative to one another {and vertically relative to said frames including an operating shaft and screw members threadedly engaging said primary bearings and gearing connecting said shaft and screw members.

RAYMOND E. GE'I'CHELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

